OK, I have some pretty opinionated thoughts about decorating for the holidays. They are as follows: First: pumpkins are NOT to be placed out until the month of October — no matter HOW much anyone may wish for it to be autumn. Second: Halloween decorations should not be placed out before the middle of October. Like it or not that’s plenty of time to scare the crap out of your neighbors. Third: pumpkins (note: not jack-o’-lanterns) may stay until the first day of December. Christmas decorations may ONLY be placed out once Advent has begun. If you are a practicing Christian, you should know this — it begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Christmas decorations are to REMAIN THROUGH EPIPHANY! That means January 6 — not the first day of the New Year you heathens! It took the Magi that long to see the new born King. If you really want to get technical — the baby Jesus should not make His appearance in nativity scenes until Christmas Day; the day on which He was born. It makes me personally CRAZY to see Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving and then stripped bare right after the New Year. No wonder so many people become depressed! If I were someone like Martha Stewart, I swear I would seriously try to implement this as an accepted standard. The American businesswoman and television personality (Martha Stewart) is credited with having said:
“The ultimate goal is to be an interesting, useful, wholesome person. If you’re successful on top of that, then you’re way ahead of everybody.”
I hope to be all of those things. However, I would settle for everyone adhering to pumpkin time.
